During Saturday night’s 7-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies, Wilmer Flores hit what looked like his 11th home run of the season, a deep shot to left field to lead off the ninth inning.

However, as left fielder David Dahl went back to the wall to try and catch it, a young fan reached over the fence and caught the ball.

The third-base umpire Chris Guccione ruled it a home run, but as Flores circled the bases, Dahl and Charlie Blackmon were shouting that the fan interfered and Rockies manager Walt Weiss came out to argue the call, leading to a video review.

Meanwhile the fan who caught the ball taunted Dahl and even gave him the Dikembe Mutombo “No, No, No” finger wag. He was escorted out of the park by security.

After a four minute wait, the replay umpires called Flores out, ruling that Dahl would have caught the ball without the interference.

Broadcasters Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez went into hysterics over the call, and Mets manager Terry Collins stormed out of the dugout to argue the decision, resulting in his ejection.

Meanwhile, a stunned Wilmer Flores couldn’t believe what had just unfolded. After the game, the usually reserved Mets infielder was letting it all out with a volley of f-bombs.

“Well, all I know, you can’t f’king assume,” Flores said. “You can’t assume he’s going to catch the ball. I don’t know what the rule is, but watching the video, you can’t f’king assume. He didn’t even reach for the ball. He didn’t even jump.”

Terry Collins agreed saying, ”I don’t understand how they can assume that ball is going to get caught.”

The ruling had no impact on the game’s outcome as the Mets went on to lose their fourth game in a row,

I was a teenager in the Tri-State area in the late 80s, early 90s; meaning I grew up in the midst of what is clearly the Golden Age of Rap or when Rap (Grandmaster Flash, KRS-ONE, Run DMC, Public Enemy) became Hip Hop (A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Wu-Tang).

I know this era well because the baseball team I loved was painful to watch and routinely gave reason for a young fan to allow his heart and mind to wander to other things like playing stickball, buying a cassette single for a Walkman and thinking about girls that wouldn’t pay him any attention (for good reason).

In 1993, a trio from Queens released an album that immediately cemented their place in a music conversation that was focused on the West Coast. ‘Throw Ya Gunz‘ and ‘Slam‘ got Onyx play on boom boxes on the street, radio stations like 98.7 Kiss FM and HOT 97 and the video played on regular rotation on both BET and MTV. It went multi-platinum (back when that truly meant something) and both Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz used this fame to earn Hollywood acting credits once the group disbanded.

What does any of this have to do with baseball and the New York Mets? Well, Onyx’s second album was entitled ‘All We Go Iz Us“. The highest-charting single was entitled ‘Last Days‘, a song that will sound familiar to anyone who’s watched the rap battle scenes in 8 Mile.

But it’s a better description of what Sandy Alderson seemingly looks at when thinking about the trade deadline and the team that’s on the field. The team he’s put together that has actually been hitting the baseball for the past month.

Unfortunately, the numbers don’t lie.

Batting Average

On-Base Percentage

Slugging Percentage

May

.211

.287

.381

June

.235

.301

.373

July

.259

.324

.442

They’re pretty abysmal, but they are trending in the right direction. And the pitching staff has lived up to the preseason hype. To borrow an idea I heard from Mike Silva on Talkin’ Mets, to this point the Mets have avoided real injury showcased by the fact they’ve only needed six starters to amass the third best ERA in MLB, 60 quality starts and a bullpen with a 3.10 ERA and the league lead in saves.

But a general manager can’t allow daily results to alter a long-term plan. There isn’t much in the minors because it was drained last year to get Yoenis Cespedes, so trading away the few pieces left for a middle reliever sounds good but makes little sense when Hansel Robles is pitching well. The 25-year old has a 0.00 ERA over 11.2 innings in July and a 2.52 for the season.

The 25-year old has a 0.00 ERA over 11.2 innings in July and a 2.52 for the season. Robles and Jerry Blevins (0.00 ERA in July over 5 innings, 2.00 for season) can handle the seventh, Addison Reed has proven he owned the 8th inning and I believe Familia will return to form. So what reason is there to bring someone else in?

Bringing in Jonathan Lucroy seems to be the only thing worth doing and it makes a modicum of sense. It’s a win-now move, especially with the emergence of Rene Rivera as a defensive backup catcher that has the confidence of Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom to call a good game.

The rising star that is Amed Rosario relegates Gavin Cecchini to tradeable, so I’m sure Alderson’s talks with the Brewers include the 22-year old SS and Travis d’Arnaud, our oft-injured catcher. My hope is he doesn’t budge farther than that, but how much of the Brewers interest is honest as opposed to just driving up Lucroy’s price, per a tweet from Adam Rubin of ESPN?

But as a fanbase, I think we need to get comfortable with the idea that All We Got Iz Us. It’s not something exciting, like an opposite-field single with runners in scoring position, but it’s the smart thing to do. Alderson has to be thinking not just about this year, but the next three.

Draining the best for Cespedes made sense then and it makes sense now. To skim off the top to get a power-hitting catcher that’s signed cheap (just $5.25 million) for next year makes sense.

Pittsburgh native, Neil Walker readies for his return tonight to the “steel city,” to face a team he spent his entire career with until this season. He was born in the city that drafted him in 2004, a fairytale story for a hometown hero. Walker grew up a fan of the Pirates and it was a dream come true that brought him to play for the team for which he grew up rooting for.

The feel good story began to sour just a couple seasons ago as the time had come to provide Walker with a contract extension. The two sides could not agree to any terms, and the Pirates eventually opted to trade their popular second-baseman to the New York Mets for left-hander Jon Niese. Walker doesn’t believe he could have been dealt a better card than playing for the Mets in Queens.

“I’m happy,” Walker said. “I’m sure there could’ve been several other places where I could’ve gone, but felt pretty fortunate about where I landed. This has been a great fit for me. It’s as much as I could’ve asked for, given the circumstances.” (TribLive)

Walker, a career .272/.338/.431 hitter with the Pirates has made the transition quite well to New York. In a contract year, he has shined for the Metropolitans hitting to a .279/.348/.505 slash. He was provided a vote of confidence with the Mets from the start that he never truly felt with the Pirates. The Mets have shown the confidence in Walker hitting from both sides of the plate even though he struggled mightily from the right side prior to this year.

“That kind of confidence is pretty valuable to a player,” Walker said. “Not that I felt slighted in Pittsburgh, but (the Pirates) like to platoon guys and do things like that. To come into this situation, knowing it wouldn’t even be a question of having to look over my shoulder all the time, that was very helpful.”

Walker has rewarded them in every way possible thus far. He has provided solid defense from a position that lacked it in recent years. He has also shown to be a force in the middle of the lineup with 13 homers – 6th most in MLB – in his first 55 games of the season. The decision to part with a hometown hero such as Walker was no easy task, as noted by general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Neal Huntington.

“I was struck by the sense that this was real — we were going to take a player who was incredibly popular, who had played a big role for us, and move on from him,” Huntington said.

Walker, previously known as the “Pittsburgh Kid,” a moniker given to a player who represented the city he played in, not just because of the team name on the jersey but his hometown roots. Letting a player of his caliber and popularity go is never an easy task for an organization. It worked out for both teams though to this point as the Pirates were in need of pitching and Niese has so far provided a good boost while pitching to a 5-2 record and sporting an ERA of 4.36 in 11 starts.

The trade though could not have worked out better for this Mets team. The decision to not re-sign Daniel Murphy came with much criticism as the pressure mounted for the newly acquired Walker to fill the shoes of a playoff hero. Manager, Terry Collins could not be happier with how Walker has responded to what was a high-pressure situation.

“He’s been over and above better than I anticipated,” Collins said. “He’s played absolutely great at second base. The reports were he didn’t play much against lefties. He’s done nothing but hit lefties here.”

All things come to a head on Monday night as Walker makes his return to Pittsburgh. In a great sense of fate, the pitcher he will get to battle against in the series opener will be the man he was traded for in Jon Niese. Emotions will be riding high for both players, but probably a bit higher for the Pittsburgh native. Walker hopes for a positive reception from a fanbase he gave his all to since making his debut in 2009.

“You try to approach it as any other day, but it’s certainly going to be emotional,” Walker said. “It’s different, not being there every day. Not for the better or for the worse; it’s just … different. I hope it’s a positive reception.”

You know me, I love to post fan created art and graphics of our New York Mets. On Friday night I came across this really cool poster that was designed by imlookinatu who posted it in a Mets Reddit thread. Nice job…

But that doesn’t mean they won’t be cautious and somewhat protective particularly in the first half of the season to ensure our young starters stay fresh and will be strong when it matters in the second half and beyond. So expect to see some spot starters, skipped starts, and even an occasional romp with a six-man rotation.

“Those are factors you have to keep in mind the next season,” Alderson told John Harper of the Daily News on Friday. “We won’t have innings limits but we’ll be a little protective. We may do some things to keep them healthy and strong with the possibility they’ll be going late into October again.”

In my opinion. this is the proper tack and course of action by the Mets, given how integral our starting pitching is to our expectations for a second consecutive year of postseason baseball. This is not a big deal and it’s the smart play.

That said, Mets broadcaster and SNY analyst Ron Darling has big issues with what Alderson and Collins are proposing. He disputes the notion that the Mets need to be protective in the first half to minimize a potential hangover effect late in the season.

“I think the Mets have done an amazing job of making sure these kids are taken care of,” Darling told the Daily News. “And even this year it’s fine to be judicious, give a guy an extra day here and there, but if I’m going to be judicious, I’m also going to make sure these guys are on the mound every turn.”

Darling says the Mets are babying their pitchers to a fault. He argues that now is the time for the team to be getting the most out of their arms while they are young, strong and at their peak.

“For most pitchers there’s a 4-to-6 year window of excellence… and these guys are right in the middle of this 4-to-6 window, and to me that’s when you want to get the most out of them. Can they handle the workload? Absolutely. But it’s a mindset too.”

“If you’ve been treated with kid gloves, that becomes your expectation level; at some point you have to learn how to push through that. You saw it with Matt in the ninth inning of World Series Game 5. He’d never had the chance to learn how to finish. Maybe next time he’ll know how to get those last three outs.”

Thanks for reminding us of that Ronnie… Well while you guys ponder whether what Darling said has any merit, here’s something cool the Mets tweeted out on Saturday:

Last season, the Mets pitching staff set a franchise record for most double digit strikeout games in a season with 55. The previous record was 39 in 1990.

Honestly, I never would have guessed the 1990 team held that record. It’s hard to believe that the Seaver, Koosman, Matlack years or the Gooden, Darling, Fernandez years didn’t own that mark. But not for nothing, our pitchers crushed the old record last season.

Have a great Sunday everyone and enjoy the game tonight. Carolina Panthers 24, Denver Broncos 13.

I’ve long been an admirer of his stoic and measured approach, his calm and patient demeanor in the face of adversity, and most of all, the confidence he exudes in his capacity to lead and forge ahead.

That he doesn’t take his marching orders from a sometimes maddening and manic fan base, but instead sticks to his convictions and trusts his exceptional acuity and instincts, sets him apart as one of the best general managers the game has ever seen.

He has a quiet demeanor that is often misunderstood and misinterpreted as being passionless, but nothing could be further from the truth. His fire burns from within.

In Sandy Alderson, the New York Mets have themselves a perfect leader who came along at the perfect time.

Leadership means devising the perfect plan and vision, finding the most efficient ways of executing those objectives, and then inspiring others to embrace and ultimately fulfill them.

The Mets are at the dawn of a new and promising era of sustainable championship caliber baseball – the likes of which the franchise has never seen.

I just wanted to extend my own personal gratitude to Sandy for taking what was once a downtrodden franchise and transforming it into the shining beacon of hope and promise that it has now become under his stewardship.

What an incredible achievement and remarkable metamorphosis. We are now the pride of New York and Major League Baseball. It’s absolutely amazing to be a Met fan right now.

Pen went to paper way back in 1843. Even so, the classic holiday novella, “The Christmas Carol” resonates with readers today as one of Charles Dickens’ most important literary contributions. No other character in the beloved novella captures the fascination of readers and viewers like Ebenezer Scrooge.

Many times, my mind shifts to Ebenezer Scrooge when I hear New York Met fans and members of the media characterize Met General Manager Sandy Alderson. For me, it’s almost like many who root for or write about the Mets, have stolen a page from Dickens when they reference the Met GM.

Think about it. Like Scrooge, Sandy Alderson is often vilified as a cold, reclusive figure, a definitive “low temperature guy,” stoic and self-contained. Dickens painted a portrait of Ebenezer Scrooge as a Victorian like miser, a character who symbolized the rich, the elite, protecting only their interests at the expense of the suffering poor.

Fast forward to modern times and consider how many Met fans depict Sandy Alderson. Ditto. In their world view, Sandy Alderson was planted in the Met front office by Commissioner Bud Selig to protect the interests of his friend, multi-millionaire Met owner Fred Wilpon. Like Scrooge, Alderson is presented as shrewd and cunning, a tight-fisted, emotionless hoarder, a guy fixated on protecting the interest of his boss while at the same time immune to the suffering of fans who live and die for the Mets.

To read some comments on Met blogs and fan sites it would be easy to come away believing Sandy Alderson is a synonym for a covetous, grasping, possessive guy with no soft edges. A man who defers to logic and sabermetrics to avoid the warmth that comes with feelings and emotion.

The Sandy Alderson popularly typified by many Met fans and the press is not the Sandy Alderson I met at a Binghamton Met game in early September of 2011.

It was the final weekend of Double-A baseball, and I was in a foul and Grinch-like mood myself. Hurricane Irene had just devastated the tiny Catskill Mountain town where I lived, Binghamton Met baseball would soon be ending, and I was in desperate need of a mental reprieve. I hunkered down in a seat in the top row behind home plate and went about my pre-game statistical recordings that come with keeping score at a baseball game.

I’m obsessive about keeping score when watching a ballgame. Batting and pitching statistics are recorded before the game and then every pitch and every play is charted. For the most part, I’m not approachable as I madly jot down notes in the moments before a baseball game begins.

On this particular day, I was aware someone had appeared in the aisle outside my row. I was sitting in the third seat and glanced up to note a gentleman studying his ticket stub, clearly deciding where he was supposed to sit. An odd feeling of recognition flooded my senses, but I struggled to match a name with the face. This stately fellow sent a ‘hello’ my way as he settled into the aisle seat, which I returned with a nod. Deferring to my statistics, I decided to try and figure out if I knew who this Met fan might be when the final pre-game stats had been logged.

Turning back toward the stranger I was certain I should know who he might be. He was clearly a man who cared about his appearance, trim and neat as a pin. He traveled without scorebook, notepad or camera, somewhat unusual for a solitary fan sitting in the part of the park where scouts representing major league franchises often assemble. He was busy on a cell phone, tweeting I assumed.

Age has a way of slowing name recognition, but it wasn’t long before the name Sandy Alderson surfaced. Oddly, that presented a dilemma of sorts. I have always followed a belief that people of celebrity deserve some privacy in public venues. Sandy Alderson was at NYSEG Stadium to watch Met baseball prospects not to engage in conversation with me. Yet, it’s always my habit to introduce myself to the folks who sit around me at a baseball game. The social aspect of watching baseball is one of the pleasures of the game. I wasn’t sure how I wanted to handle that divergence.

It was a Juan Lagares at-bat in the bottom of the first inning that was the icebreaker. The B-Mets were playing the Fighting Phils from Reading, and Lagares was the B-Met rightfielder that night. Lagares was on a tear, ripping Double-A pitching at a .370 clip after his arrival to Binghamton. I would later come to believe it was Lagares and Reese Havens that Sandy had really come to see.

Lagares pieced together an uncanny at-bat that lasted 13 pitches with the outfield prospect flying out to the warning track in left field on the final pitch. I leaned towards Sandy and said, “Now that was a major league at-bat.” Knowing what I know now about the Met organizational approach to hitting and the role average number of pitches in an at bat means when evaluating prospects, I would have predicted Sandy’s response to my comment. It was like the flood gates opened and conversation flowed easily between the two of us for the rest of the night.

I made a conscious decision that night not to broach controversial topics swirling around Met land at the time, the hottest issue whether Sandy would resign Jose Reyes. I wasn’t a reporter looking for a sports scoop. My goal was to enjoy Sandy’s company as I enjoyed the company of any new neighbor at a baseball game.

Far from self-contained, Sandy surprised me by peppering me with questions. He had a curious mind and wanted to know everything he could about me. His first line of questions concerned my relationship with the B-Mets. How often did I attend games? Was I a season ticket holder? When Sandy learned I had purchased a game pack, he wanted to know how that worked. What kind of statistics did I take? Did I do anything with them after the game? Where did my interest in baseball and the Mets originate from?

When Sandy learned I lived some two hours from Binghamton and the town where I lived had been hit hard by Irene, the line of questioning shifted. Sandy had seen news clips about the devastation and was clearly concerned. There was much he wanted to know. Was anyone lost? Were folks displaced? What was the extent of the damage? His questions addressed the clean-up, possible damages of my home and property, lodging and provisions for people effected by the storm, anything and everything related to the storm and its impact.

Before long word spread that the Met GM was in the house. A steady stream of Met fans stopped by to chat with Sandy or hawk an autograph. Sandy couldn’t have been more accommodating. He treated each Met fan with the same curiosity and graciousness he showed in his conversations with me, asking people their names or asking questions about them, always obliging, always amenable. I was struck with the sharp contrast between the image of Sandy painted by his distractors and the guy seated alongside me at this B-Met game.

I laugh when I read frustrated Met fans accusing Sandy Alderson of not caring about the team he puts on the field. That is not the Sandy I met. Sandy wasn’t shy about asking my opinions about B-Met prospects. He chatted about some of the younger players in the system, and we talked in general about the Mets. The Met GM was constantly on his cell phone getting Met game updates, reporting the score to me with any commentary that had been passed his way. I remember Sandy was especially pleased to report rookie pitcher Josh Stinson had registered an inning of scoreless relief toward the end of the game.

The things about Sandy that most impressed me that night were his wit, his dry sense of humor, and his genuine appreciation for all the unusual things that take place at a minor league baseball park. No two minor league baseball venues are the same. Every minor league park is distinct. Each minor league franchise has it’s own discrete culture with during the game entertainment events that help define what makes them special.

In Binghamton’s case three between innings game events come to mind. Binghamton is a city nicknamed the “Carousel Capital of the World.” To celebrate that fact, the B-Mets have a Carousel Horse Mascot ridden by a Cowboy who throws hot dogs over the screen to screaming fans. “I remember telling Sandy to prepare himself for something he had never seen at a baseball park before and unless he returned to Binghamton would likely never see again.” He laughed heartily at the mayhem that followed.

With a twinkle in his eye and a smile from ear to ear, Sandy was riveted during a mid-game break when a gate in the fence along the left field stands was opened and hundreds of kids poured out on to the field racing across the outfield to exit through another gate on the right field side. Sandy talked about how important it was to connect baseball with young people and you could tell he approved of the youngster’s lap in the outfield.

The clincher came during the seventh inning stretch. I whispered to Sandy that he was in for a real Binghamton treat. During almost every B-Met home game since the franchise began in Binghamton 21 years ago, an elderly gent called ‘Jingles’ dances to his own lively signature song during the break between the halves of inning seven. Jingles stage is located directly behind where Sandy and I sat. Sandy loved it, clapping to the rhythm and cheering loudly with all the other B-Met fans when ‘JIngles’ completed his jig.

In fact, Sandy was so inspired, as he sat back down in his seat, I watched him fish around in a pocket and pull out his ticket stub. Sandy jotted something down on the stub, turned to me and said, “Here. Take this. If you ever get to New York City call this number, and I’ll make sure you have a good time.”

Stunned would be an understatement. By the time the game had ended, Lagares would add a basehit to his 13-pitch at bat. And Reese Havens went 2-5 with a double and RBI. Sandy and I shook hands and headed our separate ways.

Unlike the cold, solitary, uncaring Sandy Alderson portrayed in print, I experienced the polar opposite. The Sandy Alderson who watched a baseball game with me at NYSEG was curious, welcoming, fun-loving, and generous, nothing like Dicken’s Ebenezer Scrooge.

Oh, you probably want to know if I ever called the number on the ticket stub. Not during the remainder of the 2011 season. The Mets were limping along at the end of the year, so I reasoned I might make better use of Sandy’s offer early in the 2013 campaign.

As luck would have it, my son who resides in Los Angeles, came east for a cousin’s wedding. I hadn’t seen him in a year and asked if he would like to catch a game at Citi Field. A huge Met fan, who only sees his team on west coast swings, my son had never visited the Mets new ball park and was eager to make the trip.

I called the number. It hooked me with Sandy’s office. His secretary was great. She made the arrangements for us to see the game. When my two other children learned they hadn’t been included they were not too pleased with Dad. So, tail between my legs, I called back and inquired if there was a chance that there might be four tickets instead of two.

The end result – a magical night for me and my family. The Mets rolled out the red carpet, and we had a blast. It was an evening none will forget.

When we returned home I wanted to do something personal for Sandy in way of thanks. The Catskills and our mountains are famous for maple syrup. I sent Sandy and his secretary containers of home made syrup with a lengthy hand written thank you letter explaining how much the night meant to me and my family and, of course, expressing my thanks. Like the first President Bush, famous for his hand written thank you notes, Sandy impressed me as a similar kind of guy.

Several days later, when I returned home from my morning errands, I had a message on my answering machine from Sandy’s secretary to call his office. I did. After a pleasant chat, she told me how much she appreciated the maple syrup. She added that I had not left a return address on the package, and Sandy had asked her to call and get my address. I chuckled not expecting a thank-you for a thank-you, but sent along the information.

Not long after, a handwritten thank-you from Sandy on New York Met stationary arrived. It read:

John,

Thanks for your letter and the maple syrup! Both will help me through the month of September as we try to get back on a positive note here at Citi. I’m glad you enjoyed the trip here and look forward to seeing you again in Binghamton when I return there.

Regards, Sandy

I hope good fortune brings me together with Sandy Alderson again some day. Far from the Ebenezer Scrooge-like character unhappy Met fans portray him to play, the Sandy Alderson I met is everything Scrooge is not; a self-confident, fun-loving, genial, and generous guy. In the spirit of the Christmas season, I wish Sandy good fortune and good health and the joy that comes with a winning Met baseball season in New York.

Idiotic. Moronic. Clueless. These are just a few adjectives that some fans have used to describe Terry Collins‘ job as a manager. These are also the terms that we need to throw out of the lexicon when it comes to talking about the job that he has done here.

When the 66-year old Collins was hired by the Mets before the 2011 season, there was reason for optimism. The team had fired GM Omar Minaya and then-manager Jerry Manuel. The term that I would use to describe the Mets under both Manuel and Willie Randolph before him, would be – underachievers. The term that I would use to describe the Mets under Terry Collins is – overachievers.

Many fans, myself included, questioned the hiring of Terry Collins. Why would they hire someone who never made the playoffs and had a history of clashing with players? When he managed the Angels in 1999, his players had a mutiny and pleaded with the front office to fire him. He had not managed a Major League game in twelve years before taking stewardship of the Mets. Was this a team headed down the road of a successful rebuild or a team that would continue to be a laughingstock in the wake of the Madoff scandal? There was no way anyone could truly answer this question until the season started.

Sandy Alderson promised to rebuild the team the right way. He was not going to trade prospects for veterans or sign free agents to astronomical contracts like Omar Minaya had done previously. However, this left Collins with hardly any talent to manage. In his first four years as manager, his team never finished above .500 and his 304-344 with the Mets wasn’t breeding any confidence.

At the conclusion of year four, there was a growing sense that the Mets would turn the page on Collins and look to some new leadership. But thankfully, they did not. With many of the team’s top prospects making their way to the Major Leagues, Collins was deemed the man to complete the turnaround and that’s exactly what he did.

The 2015 season was not pretty at times. With key players out with injuries and some underwhelming performances by new offseason additions, the offense struggled mightily ranking last in almost every pertinent category including batting average and runs scored. It got so bad that Collins had turned to John Mayberry Jr. as his cleanup hitter for parts of the season, and yet he still kept the team in the hunt. Things looked bleak.

That was until Alderson made some crucial moves that helped catapult the team into their first playoff appearance since 2006. Unfortunately, it seems that Collins has not been getting enough credit for the team’s success. Yes, I know he makes some questionable decisions, like putting an ineffective Bobby Parnell into close games down the stretch and starting Michael Cuddyer in Game One of the NLDS and watching him unsurprisingly flop.

The list goes on and on. But one thing that I love about Collins’ team is that they always have played hard. Even in the dark times, there was no quit in the Mets, which made them watchable. Their resiliency gave the team character and confidence. The talent was not always there but, we could all witness the hustle night in and night out. As a fan, it was encouraging and fun to watch and I truly appreciated that fighting spirit which was always on full display.

While there are a few managers that I would gladly take ahead of Collins, I am happy we still have him in the dugout. I am not his biggest fan, but I am a fan. As a New Yorker, I value the guys that go out there and give it their all.

Is there any manager that gets more out of his players on a nightly basis than Terry Collins? I do not know, and quite frankly I do not care. All I can say is that despite his imperfections as a manager, he’s performed admirably as the field general of the New York Mets. While Collins did not win the Manager of the Year award which he arguably deserved, his team beat the eventual winner Joe Maddon and the Cubs when it mattered most. You have to respect that.

Is he perfect? Certainly not. But clearly, he has overcome a lot of adversity under intense scrutiny and in the end he brought the team within earshot of their first World Series title in three decades. You have to respect that too.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/12/its-time-to-embrace-terry-collins.html/feed/0Conforto Takes The Blame, But That Botched Play Was On Cespedeshttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/10/conforto-takes-the-blame-but-that-botched-play-was-on-cespedes.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/10/conforto-takes-the-blame-but-that-botched-play-was-on-cespedes.html/#commentsWed, 28 Oct 2015 16:56:14 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=198236

Listening to Mets left fielder Michael Conforto explain the botched play that led to an inside-the-park home run by Alcides Escobar to give the Royals an early first inning lead, showed how willing he was to take accountability – an admirable quality for one so young.

“We were both going towards the gap and thought I heard something that sounded like ‘I got it,’” Conforto said after the 5-4 loss. “So I pulled up.”

“I really don’t want to make excuses. I had a shot to catch that ball. That ball can’t get down. We’re in the World Series and it’s got to get caught.”

I was a little taken back by how manager Terry Collins characterized the play.

“Michael could have caught it. He thought Cespedes called it,” Collins said. “Yeah, it should have been caught, but wasn’t caught.”

I’ve watched that play a dozen times and in my opinion, that catch was all on center fielder Yoenis Cespedes and not on Conforto. That’s a catch any center fielder takes charge of and makes the play. Juan Lagares makes that play.

I respect Conforto for taking the blame, but honestly he has nothing to apologize for.

Meanwhile, I went to sleep and didn’t stick around to hear what Cespedes had to say. However it sounds from most reporters that he didn’t want to discuss it at all.

“Cespedes, a veteran who wants long-term riches, stalled and stalled before begrudgingly answering questions and never being accountable about the play.”

“The rule is on a 50-50 ball the center fielder has priority, but Cespedes spoke vaguely of a shift taking him out of position. Nevertheless, one Mets official said bluntly, “That is the center fielder’s ball.”

Cespedes also did not come out for the pre-game introductions, a team official said he was in the bathroom.

This isn’t a Cespedes hatchet piece, but let’s just say I expected more from him this postseason. He went 1-for-6 in last night’s game and struck out twice. That’s now 13 strikeouts in 40 plate appearances this postseason. He should have caught that ball.

Come on, Yo… Now is the time for accountability, leadership and bringing your five tools to the forefront. We need you.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/10/conforto-takes-the-blame-but-that-botched-play-was-on-cespedes.html/feed/0Citi Field Is All Dressed Up With Only One Place To Go! #BeatLAhttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/10/citi-field-is-all-dressed-up-with-one-place-to-go-beatla.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/10/citi-field-is-all-dressed-up-with-one-place-to-go-beatla.html/#commentsMon, 12 Oct 2015 16:04:24 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=196274

Get ready to see a stunning Citi Field tonight as the New York Mets and all the hard-working members of the grounds crew have dressed up the park for it’s first ever postseason!

The Mets pulled all the stops and everywhere you look you’ll see a celebration of the NL East Champs and their march toward the ultimate prize!

With the series now tied at one game apiece, guess who has Home Field Advantage now! Let’s send the Dodgers back to LA so they can watch us play in the NLCS!

I can’t wait for 8:37 PM to roll around and to see a packed Citi Field decked in Orange & Blue and roaring for their New York Mets!

Strap yourselves in and enjoy the game, and tip your blue cap to the Mets organization from the front office to the players and also to all the vendors, grounds crew, and security personnel who combine to give us the ultimate fan experience! Let’s Go Mets!

Here is a video produced by metsrangerfan711 that is sure to get you pumped up for the Mets’ first postseason since 2006.

It captures all the struggles the Mets have endured ever since their last trip to the playoffs and the rebuild that brought them to this exciting and remarkable team that we have today.

If this video doesn’t send chills down your spine or bring a tear to your eye, you may need to have your Mets fandom checked out. This is a wonderful representation of our journey to get to where we are now as a team and a fan base.

Sandy, Terry, Curtis, Wilmer, and even you Fred, I tip my Orange and Blue cap to you.

I want to say thank you to the New York Mets. The 2015 season thus far has been nothing short of amazing. From the dominance of our young pitching staff to the second half boom of our suddenly all-powerful lineup, this team has been incredible to watch every night.

I believe that this did not all happen by accident. Five years ago Sandy & Co. took over the team. They had a plan. Shed the bad contracts. Build the farm system around power pitching. Supplement the active roster with established major league talent when it was time. And create sustainable success in Flushing.

Many of us at times, myself included, doubted not only the plan, but the people executing it. We grew impatient waiting. We were critical of every move and motive. At times we took patience and inactivity for apathy. I’m not saying our front office is perfect. Not by any stretch of the imagination. It’s been a long, tough run and we as Mets fans have had every right to be critical and skeptical. However, I do believe it is a good time to appreciate what we have and all the people responsible for our first place New York Mets.

All the bad decisions, the bad moves, and the bad play have been well documented and well voiced. What I feel is long overdue is the acknowledgement and even gratitude for what our team has done right.

One could argue against or for (and I have) any of these moves, but without them I strongly doubt the Mets would be where they are now. And that’s a team playing the most exciting baseball I can remember watching in a long, long time.

Whether we ride this season deep into October or fizzle out at the end, it has been a hell of a good time. It’s brought excitement and optimism and pride back to being a Mets fan. And for that, I thank every one of my beloved NY Mets.

Let’s Go Mets!

* * * * * * * *

This Fan Shot was contributed by Joe Mongognia. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 30,000 Met fans who read this site daily.

Send your Fan Shot to FanShot@MetsmerizedOnline.com. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.

Mets chief revenue officer Lou DePaoli told Steven Marcus of Newsday that the team currently has the sixth-largest attendance increase of all MLB teams over last year’s figures.

Through 56 home games this season, Mets attendance is up 10 percent over last year, DePaoli told Marcus.

The Mets are averaging 30,253 fans per game, which is sixth-best in the National League after finishing 21st out of 30 teams in 2014.

This is good news for the franchise, assuming they stick to their word that the more attendance and revenue increases, the more of an impact it would have on increasing the team’s payroll.

I’ve been very encouraged by the team’s recent acquisitions and the money it cost to take on many of the new players – even in those instances where the Mets got money back.

However I did have some concern when I read a few of the Mets beat writers saying that most of the new increase in payroll by these additions were covered by the insurance from David Wright’s contract and the Jenrry Mejia suspension.

Personally, I’m not familiar with those financial details, but like anything else I made a mental note of what was said.

From a fan perspective, I couldn’t be more thrilled and excited from seeing a sold-out Citi Field during the Washington Nationals series. I thought that was awesome to see and electrifying as well.

The energy at Citi Field was all I wrote about on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and as I said it brought back memories of Shea Stadium.

However, as far as future spending goes, it’s important to note that the Wilpons still own this team and they’ve lied about spending so many times before.

If you think anything has changed with them – don’t. In fact right after we wrote an article about extending Cespedes on Monday, the next day several reports said that there’s no chance it would happen, and all cited money.

So enjoy the season, keep going to Citi Field to support the team, continue having fun as we push for the postseason, but never forget who the owners are.

Brad Kallet of CBS New York believes that Alderson should be fired if the Mets fail to reach the postseason. While Kallet thinks the Wilpons are the main problem, he also says that Alderson shares responsibility.

“He’s had his chance, and enough is enough. No more leeway. No more waiting. No more long-winded raps about how there’s no reason to panic and a plan is in place, that everything will be fine.”

Kallet takes serious issue with the team’s offense which currently ranks last in the league in runs scored, batting average, and OPS.

“The bottom line is that the Mets have the best young pitching staff in the league, and they are wasting it. Completely wasting it. With at least two-thirds of the offenses in baseball, this club would be a World Series contender. Give me the Reds’ offense. Give me the Brewers’ offense. Give me the Pirates’ offense. Any of those and you’re looking at late October baseball.”

Our own Joe D. has often said that with our pitching, all the Mets needed was league average offensive production or close to it to become a powerhouse in the National League.

Just as Joe D. pointed out last night, Kallet essentially agrees, writing:

“A rebuild should not take this long. It just shouldn’t. The Mets have had six consecutive losing seasons, and a seventh could very well be on the way. Four of those losing seasons have been under Alderson.”

“I’ll give credit when credit’s due. Alderson has done a solid job of rebuilding the farm system, though that comes with a couple of asterisks. Many of these young stars we’re watching on a nightly basis were drafted by former GM Omar Minaya, and none of Alderson’s position players have made an impact yet. We’re still waiting for the hitters. Hopefully Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo and Dominic Smith will be those guys.”

Even though some fans and especially Joe D. hold ownership accountable for most of the team’s issues, public opinion is starting to turn on Alderson as the Mets’ offense continues to struggle.

Fans and media alike are growing impatient with the slow rebuilding process. Many loyalists are losing faith in Sandy and fear that all this great pitching will be squandered as we’ve seen glimpses of all too often this season already.

I think his job is safe for now, but that could change quickly if the team doesn’t show some drastically improved results in the near future.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/07/if-mets-fail-to-make-postseason-should-alderson-be-fired.html/feed/0MMO Flashback: What It Means To Be A Mets Fanhttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/04/mmo-flashback-what-it-means-to-be-a-mets-fan.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/04/mmo-flashback-what-it-means-to-be-a-mets-fan.html/#commentsSat, 04 Apr 2015 12:20:20 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=178160

It’s like clockwork you know, hell I could even set my watch to it. Every year and almost exactly around this time, nostalgia rushes over me in a wave of mixed emotions. I feel the cold rattle my aching bones yet I know somewhere warm and far away, my team is getting ready for a new beginning. Unless you’re a fan of this team, it’s hard to describe the passion we share for it, at least not without sounding as if we’re completely insane.

As much as it is a time of rebirth it’s a time where my memories pull me in equally powerful yet opposite directions. It’s hard to let go of those I’ve lost, my father and grandfather especially. I long for the days when we would travel to Kissimmee to see the Mets play the Astros during Spring Training. It was the closest we could get to opening day at Shea, listening to Ralph Kiner – now also a part of our collective memories – and soaking it all in. Full of hope; high on expectations and yet cognizant of reality, that’s the life of a Mets fan.

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the combative and sometimes negative banter, especially when you’re a part of such a diverse and passionate fan base. Most of the time it’s exhilarating, as defending your opinion should be. On rare occasions it brings out the worst in us, but like I said, that’s rare. But there should be no doubt that hope, really does spring eternal every year around this time.

It’s going to be exciting to see how the future is going to play out with regards to the Mets pitching. It’s difficult to not compare the arms of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard to the icons of the past whether they be, Seaver, Koosman and Ryan or Gooden, Darling and Cone. We’ve been teased before with Generation K, so we’re battle tested and always prepared to be disappointed. But perhaps that pendulum has finally begun to swing our way.

Questions remain, as they always do. Who’s playing first? What about shortstop? Does Alderson have money to spend? If he does, do you believe him? Do you believe the Wilpons? Does that matter? We always seem to be skeptical no matter who’s running the show, and that’s not entirely a bad thing. We have to admit that progress has been made. Granted in a perfect world, it would have happened sooner then again in a perfect world Carlos Beltran would have swung at that curveball and Bernie Madoff would have never existed.

“Baseball breaks your heart. It’s designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, you rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it the most, it stops.” ~ A. Bartlett Giamatti

Even though a part of me would give anything to relive the past, I’m beginning to realize the true gift of what the past has given me. What good is it to wish for days long gone with those we cared for sharing our love of this game and this team if it simply ends there? Every thread of this game becomes a tapestry when passed down to those we love. The whole point is to continue our tradition.

Just recently the mother of a good friend and co-worker of mine passed away. As true a fan of this team as I’ve ever known. Adrienne would call to speak to her daughter and I knew when they were done speaking – it was time for us to talk shop. She was 80 years old and sharp as a tack and she knew everything that was going on with this team from who was playing to who was hurt, down to her “boyfriend” Keith Hernandez’ personal life. She made it a point to mention that he was “available” now and that he lived not too far from her. I think Mex would’ve met his match though.

This is what matters most about our love for this team. I may not write with the aplomb of a Greg Prince or with the uncanny wit of Metstradamus or with the statistical dexterity of Eric Simon. But like Forrest Gump, I too know what love is and my greatest hope for anyone who reads this is to find that someone in your life and pass this love down. I know, you might think it’s a curse but deep down, beyond the issues, beyond the controversies, we’re all one big family and I’ve been lucky to know and learn from a few of them.

Mel Brooks has made a small fortune – no make that a large fortune – on his movie, then play, then movie of THE PRODUCERS. As you must know it involved a scam wherein his protagonists planned to make a fortune by overfunding a Broadway show that goes bust almost immediately.

Wayne Huizenga owned the Florida Marlins for a few years, poured tons of money into a team that won a championship in 1997, then completely dismantled it since it didn’t make him any (or enough) money to justify a very high payroll with a fanbase that wasn’t filling his stadium.

What does all this have to do with anything?

I sometimes wonder what a Mets fan should be wanting at this point.

In simple terms one would think that an improving entertaining team, especially one that can compete for a playoff spot would be all that a fan should be wishing for.

But might that be shortsighted?

There’s a growing core of the Mets’ fanbase that has determined that the team can not be anything approaching a sustained winner as long as team ownership is in the hands of Fred Wilpon, Jeff Wilpon, and Saul Katz. This core believes that the red ink that they are swimming in will continue to flow in perpetuity – or at least until they are saved by some Willets Point real estate coup.

If the true goal of a fan is to get the Mets to be a legitimately funded large market team then is it really in its interest to see an 85 to 89 win season, a modest bump in attendance, and higher ratings on SNY?

And is it ownership’s goal to field a quality ballclub or just to survive until the real estate deal comes to fruition?

Now I’m the first to admit that if a few big things go right the Mets could be quite good in 2015. If Matt Harvey 2015 is anything like Matt Harvey 2013 and if David Wright bounces back to form the team could well be on its way. The entire atmosphere surrounding the club would be improved.

We have seen some small market teams, most notably Oakland and Tampa Bay, have a modicum of success on a light budget. It has happened and for some teams it will happen again. Of course, the GMs of those teams were proactive legends named Billy Beane and Andrew Friedman. And these gentlemen were allowed to do their thing without meddling from their respective ownership groups.

Does the present day Sandy Alderson (and his lieutenants) seem to be anything like that? Is Jeff Wilpon the hands-off type of owner that would sit by idly while his GM moves parts around as needed? I think not.

While I am enthused about the prospect of a top grade starting staff with some very promising arms percolating at AAA I am constantly sobered by the thoughts of (A) what happens when Harvey, then Wheeler, then the others reach their arbitration years or God forbid (B) free agency.

If the team smarts at paying Daniel Murphy $8 million in arbitration what will it do when the top starters are putting in for well more than that? A debt consumed ownership group will have to jettison these home grown favorites just to stay afloat.

So I wonder what should we really be pulling for in 2015 if the ultimate goal is to see the team ownership change?

Reading the above one might wonder whether I am “rooting” for the team to lose. In a micro sense the answer is definitely not but in a macro sense one could make a case. Let’s look at three examples.

I would wager that at least two-thirds of the people reading this believe Terry Collins is a subpar manager and would want him replaced (many want his replacement to have the initials WB). Ask yourself in which scenario the Mets bring Collins back for 2016. If the team wins 78 games I think we all know he’s a goner. If they win 85 and either make the playoffs or vie for them in September then he likely returns. So if you want Terry gone what should you be rooting for?

My two least favorite Mets the past few years were Scott Rice and Eric Young, Jr. I strongly believed and continue to believe that these are replacement level players who could not possibly help a team towards real success.

So when Rice was on the mound was I “rooting” for him to fail? I was not. “Expecting” is more the operative term. And when he did inevitably fail – because the opponent had the temerity to bring a right-handed batter to the plate I saw an upside to the failure reasoning that this might help get him released or, at least, demoted. There was never an upside to a Daniel Murphy flyout or a Lucas Duda strikeout but when Rice screwed up there was a consolation prize.

And yes I know the Mets have in their infinite wisdom re-signed Mr. Rice. It was a four Advil day for me when it happened.

Similarly I would not root for Eric Young, Jr. to fail at the plate but took solace from his many failures that this would grease the slide for his ultimate release or demotion.

The micro sense I alluded to is that NO Mets fan should view a game and hope that the team loses.

The macro sense is the big picture. If you said to me the Mets can finish with exactly 78 wins or 85 and it’s strictly my choice, I really don’t know what I’d prefer. The 85 wins means more Terry Collins and is more likely to keep the Wilpons limping along. The 78 wins means a new (and hopefully better) manager, more empty seats, and a louder clamor for ownership change. It would be a real tough call.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/02/how-optimistic-should-mets-fans-be.html/feed/0Mets Tickets Sales Are Up 19 Percent Over Last Yearhttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/01/mets-tickets-sales-are-up-19-percent-over-last-year.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/01/mets-tickets-sales-are-up-19-percent-over-last-year.html/#commentsWed, 21 Jan 2015 15:52:37 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=173590Mets ticket sales are exceeding expectations and are now projected to be significantly higher over last year, Mets chief revenue officer Lou DePaoli told Newsday.

“Obviously, we’re going to project for the attendance to go up again,” said DePaoli. “We’re still trying to wrap our hands around exactly what that could look like. Ticket sales are up 19.26 percent ahead of last year, season tickets are up 12.5 percent. What we look at it is that we’re pacing in the right direction. At this time last year, we were pacing about 1 percent up and we wound up .62 percent up from 2013.

The team sold roughly 2.1 million tickets in 2014 which ranked 21st in MLB. It was their first increase in sales since 2009 when Citi Field opened.

]]>http://metsmerizedonline.com/2015/01/mets-tickets-sales-are-up-19-percent-over-last-year.html/feed/0Winning Is The Only Known Cure For Fan Apathyhttp://metsmerizedonline.com/2014/11/winning-is-the-only-known-cure-for-fan-apathy.html/
http://metsmerizedonline.com/2014/11/winning-is-the-only-known-cure-for-fan-apathy.html/#commentsThu, 06 Nov 2014 10:31:13 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=169407

You may have heard the Mets announced some new uniform changes for 2015 this morning… Well whoop-dee-freaking-doo… There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned uniform tweak to excite the masses and get them to closet their old jerseys and buy some new ones. Cha-ching…

If they really want to excite me in November, how about they tweak our dysfunctional ownership group and make some real positive changes to their entire dilapidated operation?

It may not be as deadly as Ebola, but the Mets have their own self-concocted virus spreading like wildfire all over the city… It’s called “fan apathy” and true New Yorkers are the ones at greatest risk. Is there a cure, sure there is, it’s a specially designed antidote specially designed to kill and stop apathy dead in its tracks – winning.

No matter how hard I tried to enjoy the moment last night, as me and a group of Met fans watched Juan Lagares win his first Gold Glove, the excitement was short-lived. Eventually any positive sentiments were all forgotten and washed ashore by a sea of uncertainty surrounding the state of the team.

“Things are so f**king bad that everything is now so predictable with this team,” my friend Mark said. “Daniel Murphy is set to make $8 million, so they’ll have to trade him. Melky Cabrera and Michael Cuddyer got qualifying offers, so much for that idea. Matt Kemp and Joey Bautista make too much money, they’re off the table. It’s so sickening.”

Brian: “I want to know how we’re going to keep all this great young pitching a few years from now when Harvey, deGrom, Wheeler and Thor will be making $25-30 million instead of $2 million? Where’s all the money coming from when those four will be ready for their $75-100 million extensions? And don’t forget we’ll still be paying Wright his $20 million a year. What do we do then? We blow it all up and rebuild again?”

Mark: “It all feels like a big scam, like they’re conning us. I don’t know how you trust them knowing you have those money-grabbing thugs owning the team”

Joe D: “Where the hell did you get the idea that I trust them? What are you f**king nuts? The mere thought of them nauseates me to no end. You think I don’t realize it’s all a big dog and pony show? ”

I think you could figure out how the rest of the night evolved. It’s so difficult to get excited about the future when you can’t trust the ones responsible for delivering it.

And my buddy Brian asks the real question – the question nobody wants to think about right now – how will a team full of young stars stay together once they get into the arbitration years which occurs in their third or second big league season? Already in Kansas City they are faced with the bleak reality of needing to trade Alex Gordon because they can’t afford him. And that’s a team with a higher payroll than us.

Honestly, I try not to think about it because life’s too short. So I try to dwell on Mets news as it happens rather than looking 2-3 years ahead and trying to figure out how the math is going to work. The numbers just don’t add up and it’s pretty scary.

And this explains my animosity toward Fred and Jeff Wilpon. This is why we can’t go more than five days on MMO without reminding you just how dire the ownership situation is. Everything with them is just a money grab. They don’t care about winning a championship like we do. All they want is a team that appears to look like a better than .500 team so that they can get more of your fannies to fill the seats at Ebbets err Citi Field.

As for all these gimmicks, sideshows and promotions, there’s only one sure fire cure for fan apathy and as I mentioned above it’s rather simple – winning. But good luck trying to sell that to the Wilpons.

One of the questions I get asked a lot is whether I think Bartolo Colon will be traded this offseason. I still feel the same way now as I did before the trade deadline and believe Colon will be in the 2015 Opening Day rotation.

Back in July, I took issue with this prevailing notion that the Mets would trade Colon to anyone that would simply take his contract off their hands – even for no players in return. One site continued to push that narrative all through the waiver period that followed, but when all was said and done Bartolo was still a Met. Big surprise to them, not to me.

Sandy Alderson would never just give Colon away especially after giving the fan base quite the sell job after signing him for $20 million dollars and then trying to justify that second guaranteed year that no other team was willing to offer.

Simply giving him away at the time, would also have fanned the flames that the Mets were STILL in financial distress, something they’ve been trying desperately to extinguish, albeit quite unsuccessfully.

Colon and his remaining $11 million should be easier to move this offseason, but I’m still convinced the Mets will keep him.

For one, Sandy Alderson could get a lot more in return by trading Jon Niese or Dillon Gee who other teams view more favorably than Colon – who still carries a lot of risk.

But secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Sandy Alderson could keep Colon because he’s a workhorse who stabilizes the rotation, serves as a hedge against Matt Harvey not returning at full strength, and he provides and insurance against injuries and innings caps.

The Mets would still have to kick in some money to facilitate any deal for Colon, something they would be very reluctant to do. When Colon passed through waivers without so much as one claim, it showed that nobody was willing to take on Colon’s contract even if it would have cost them nothing in return.

So to answer the question, yes, Colon will still be with the Mets in 2015.

As the Kansas City Royals continue to weave their own miracle finish, Hall of Famer Tom Seaver told Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post that he doesn’t believe the 1969 Mets should be remembered as “The Miracle Mets.”

Seaver, who went 25-7 that year, acknowledged that he understands why they were called the Miracle Mets, but simply doesn’t see it that way.

“I understand why people got caught up in what we did. We had been a horrid franchise, and suddenly we weren’t. But we also had a guy who won 25 games. We had a guy Cleon Jones who hit .340. We had one of the best catchers in the game in Jerry Grote, and a great, great manager. And by the way? We won a hundred games!”

The 1969 Mets were perfect in so many ways. A team built on the backbone of elite pitching with a a mediocre lineup that could score runs when they needed them, and buy, could they play stellar defense. Add to that a manager in Gil Hodges who was a brilliant strategist and a great motivator.

What an amazing team… It was a magical season when baseball was still pure and innocent… We rooted for players who’d probably get torn apart these days because their OPS wasn’t good enough… So many endearing personalities. Those were such good times…

The “miracle” tag came mostly from a stunned country and a shocked and emotional fan base who had endured seven straight losing seasons including an 89 loss season the previous year in 1968. From our perspective we had no doubt that divine intervention played a huge role in what would transpire in 1969.

It was the year of miracles, especially for New Yorkers. The Jets won the Super Bowl, the Mets won the World Series, and Apollo 11 astronauts - Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin – landed and walked on the Moon.

“Tomas’ best attribute is his power, a trait that is in short supply in today’s game. Only 14 players hit 30 or more home runs in 2013, and fewer might reach that threshold this year. Tomas has 70 raw power on the 20-80 scale, wrote Baseball America’s Ben Badler in June, so he profiles as one of those rare 30+ home run bats.”

“He’s a pure power guy, a really good hitter,” one international scouting director told Peter Gammons. The early favorites are the Giants, who were in hard on both Jose Abreu and Rusney Castillo, the Phillies, Padres, Rangers and the Tigers. But that can change, in a hurry.

The Giants and Phillies have already had Tomas in for private workouts. He is expected to be officially be declared a free agent after the regular season, at which point he’ll be able to sign with any major league team.

September 22

Cuban slugger Yasmani Tomas held his showcase in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, and by all accounts every major league team including the Mets had scouts in attendance. The most serious potential suitors had their front office brass there. Now the pretenders can go home and return to their regularly scheduled programming, while the contenders ask Tomas to attend their private workouts.

For many teams, including the Mets, this latest Cuban talent won’t fit into their financial equations. With his price tag expected to be as high as $100 million, only the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Giants and Rangers will be in hot pursuit.

According to Ben Badler of Baseball America, the Phillies are already the first team to have Tomas participate a private workout. That will take place today in the D.R. and general manager Ruben Amaro will be in attendance.

As I mentioned a few times in the last two weeks, with Mets payroll expected to remain at $85 million and the team facing $22 million in raises for 2015, there’s no room at the inn for a player like Tomas – even though the 23-year old slugger likely has the power that they desperately crave.

It’s a shame really…

Is Tomas a risk? Of course he is, but he’s exactly the kind of risk a team playing in large market should take. Especially with a free agent market that is devoid of power hitters this winter and a front office that’s reluctant to unload any of their precious arms to trade for one.

Tomas’ power was rated a 70 on the scouting scale by Baseball America, or in other words – elite level. His power is most often compared to Jose Abreu by most of the scouts that have seen him.

He would fit perfectly in the cleanup spot of the Mets lineup in 2015 while replacing 5+ years of poor production in left field.

Tomas would be the difference maker Sandy Alderson keeps saying he’s going to acquire but never does, and his addition would inject some life and excitement back into one of the worst ranked offenses in the majors this season.

Not to mention that it would give an apathetic fan base a clear message that the front office is finally dead serious about winning.

And some people want to know why I keep ragging on Fred and Jeff Wilpon everyday… SMH…